58 A PRACTICAL TREATISE 



differ ; or it may lie upon a declivity, in which case it will 

 only be prudent to put more upon the upper part than upon 

 the bottoms; for, even under the most careful distribution, 

 they assuredly will receive an additional portion, which will 

 be swept from the heights. Care is also requisite, in carting- 

 out dung and all manure, to make the drivers keep on the 

 head-land till they come to the end of the land which is ma- 

 nuring, so as to make each ridge bear its exact proportion of 

 damage ; or, for want of such attention, the men, if left to 

 themselves, make roads across from the gate in every direc- 

 tion, to the great injury of the crop. 



Such is the most approved mode in the broadcast manner ; 

 but where the drill husbandry prevails, it is by no means un- 

 usual to lay the dung in the intervals of these small ridges, as 

 practised for turnips throughout Scotland and the north of 

 England. The drills are in this case generally formed at the 

 distance of 27 inches, or thereabouts, from the centre of each ; 

 and by driving the carts along the middle one of the space 

 intended to be manured, the dung is drawn out in such pro- 

 portions as may be judged necessary. If the breadth of three 

 drills be only taken at a time, the dung stands a better chance 

 of being equally laid in them ; for it often happens that, when 

 a greater number are included in one space, the outside drills 

 receive a less quantity than those which intervene. Others, 

 however, thinking that by only taking three drills at a time, 

 the travel of the horses is unnecessarily increased, take five 

 drills into one space; but, in that case, the number of spreaders 

 must be increased, as at least one is requisite to each drill, 

 and unless care be taken in the superintendence, some ine- 

 quality will occur in the distribution. It is, however, obvious 

 that the labour of the teams, as well as the poaching of the 

 land, will be thereby lessened ; and if a sufficient number of 

 spreaders be employed, the work will also be more speedily 

 executed. Women and children, having light grapes, or 

 forks, are strong enough — four are generally Ibund sufficient 

 for what is called 'a head of carts;' and the spreading is 

 adroitly performed even by small boys and girls, after they 

 have been a little time accustomed to the task. 



It is obvious in the plnuffhinq- down of dung that, if it be 

 not turned down accurately, it becomes partly exposed to the 

 atmosphere, instead of being buried in the soil. Skim-coulter 

 ploughs have been used to obviate this inconvenience, but — 

 especially in the case of long-dung — there is great difficulty 



